coming from watching John Oliver's recent segment on generic drugs.

immediately after watching, i went to propublica's rx inspector and looked up my generic adderall (that i just picked up today) -- neither factory have ACTIVE issues with the FDA, but boy do they both have a history of them. seeing the information on the rx inspector did not change anything for me, but i find it fascinating, and i'm especially grateful to see the ongoing research & investigation into medication issues. it's nice to know that it's not all in my head, that there are documented variations and quality control issues with generic medications in the US, though it may not be my specific pill bottle.

anyway, i know the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of generic ADHD meds has been an ongoing topic of conversation -- sharing John Oliver's video and the ProPublica site here for anyone who's interested.

ProPublica -- Look Up Where Your Generic Prescription Drugs Were Made

John Oliver -- Generic Drugs: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

I have inattentive ADHD and I don’t know why a job has never made me excited and I think nobody feels excited working but they are motivated because they know that they earn a paycheck. For me not even a paycheck is motivating, and I have realized throughout the years that I don’t like exchanging time for money and I rather complete tasks or sell items for money.. so in other words, my only way to stay motivated for money is ‘on the spot transactions’. I get motivated to work if I know that I am going to see the money the same day or right after completing a task. For example, example gig work. I know gig work is not a sustainable way of surviving these days, but I am actually more motivated to do the work because I can see right away what I’m going to make or even accept an order/task prior to getting paid. A job is something I have to commit to every single day for certain hours of the week and I have to wait for the paycheck every week or every two weeks. The set up is like torture to me and and I feel like it’s a way of teasing people like haha you have to put these amount of hours every day in order to receive your paycheck It’s torture and I’m sure for many people it’s torture too but having ADHD and my specific brain chemistry, I rather chew on 100 needles in my mouth then work a regular job waiting for a paycheck.

I have been on medication for ADHD over 10 years and get a urine screen from my doctor every 3 months to make sure I’m taking the prescription. Today was the first time something other than my prescribed medication showed up positive in my urine screening. The past few months I have had issues getting my prescriptions because they are constantly out of stock and pushing my dates back and causes my to go days without medication at times which led me to using something in those days I was out of medication that would pop up on my urine screen. I was ignorant and never really looked into what the urine screening was used for other than “making sure I’m taking my meds” and that another substance would completely end continuing my prescriptions with my current doctor. So the doctor took a blood test that will confirm that what they caught in my system is in fact there and they said they will not prescribe anything to me again. So my question is where do I go from here if I want to continue medication or if that is even a possibility now with the bad screening? I feel so stupid and ignorant for this even happening and wish I had looked into everything years ago but this has never been an issue before. I obviously would like to continue getting medication if I can but also just want the clarity to know if this is even a possible outcome before going however long it will take to see a new doctor. I believe the wait in my area is months. The state i am in is Virginia if that matters

What is your personal metaphor of how you consider your ADHD or how you describe it when explaining to another person.

Personally I imagine my ADHD as an old television set from the 90s where the channel is constantly changing without my control.

My mother's metaphor is a pair of dice tumbling towards her with a different thought on each face of the dies.

Do you have a unique perception of your disorder?

I thought this could be an interesting discussion.

If possible keep your description or metaphor concise or even poetic!

edit: Loving reading these, thanks everyone

Hi everyone, firstly wanted to say I'm so grateful for this sub and everyone in it. I've been in here since quarantine times when I was still in highschool. Came back as I was waiting for my own assessment back in June-September. Had my follow up and prescription down just yesterday. Today Is my first day on Vyvanse 30mg and oh my goodness, I don't even know how to describe the feeling. At first I felt like how I would feel when I used to drink. A sort of floaty, peaceful joy. I feel like I'm just existing right now. My head isn't quiet, but it's more organised? if that makes sense. I'm supposed to be doing my assignment right now, but I needed to share this.
Honestly, at first I was convinced that I don't actually have ADHD and the diagnosis was a fluke. I think because I'm in a time of my life where there aren't competing obligations and I have a lot of free time + brain space. I've been doing really well mentally and just being in my own space. Has anyone else felt like this?

Then there would be small reminders like rejection sensitivity, my tendency to overthink, analysis paralysis, avoiding contact with people (texting, I'm really bad at texting), executive dysfunction even for things that I enjoy. I think how I feel on this medication feels like a confirmation maybe. I don't have the words to properly articulate it, but I don't feel the compulsive urge to jump tasks. Oh actually funnily enough, I have this thing where I'll comment under a thread/youtube video/tik tok video, but I'll back out halfway and just delete the whole comment because I'm overthinking it; I haven't felt that at all today.

Anyway, I'd love any advice or tips anyone has!!

19F just diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. It sucks because everyone characterizes it as some quirky disorder or the disorder that everybody has. however, I feel happy for those people who feels that way because then they don’t have to experience how debilitating it is. I genuinely cant imagine a future for myself where I am alive and happy. Im not super dumb but I grasp things very slowly and I seemingly have a low iq based off of assumptions. I wish i was at least a smart individual who only struggled with turning assignments in. this sucks as im only friends with smart people who are high achievers so obviously im like the bum that people know that is always complaining without achieving shit. and it sucks that i know that i am that person and it feels horrible knowing that i wake up to go to college for 8 hours straight to study before and after classes and i am still so behind. i spend so much time in the library just to not really get anything done because i work at an abnormally slow pace. i dont even want to sound like a negative donkey thats always complaining but this is genuinely just the mindset you develop after getting diagnosed 19 years in and having a 2.8 gpa as a sophmore im not even taking high level classes and im already fkd as shit cause im a little monkey baby that cant just do my work. and i feel so ashamed!!!! its so hard to explain that shamefulness to people without receiving the typical “oh no ur not dumb dont say that” like i get it yk what are u really supposed to say to that so i dont even blame them for that response but it just sucks feeling so pessimistic all the time

Does anyone struggle with platonic limerence? I struggle with it a lot
I get obsessed with the person and idolize them and crave their attention
If so how do you curb these feelings and have a stable relationship with the person
I love when they text me
Its like a euphoria
I have done questionable things to get their attention

Anyone else CONSTANTLY dropping shit? I know its not entirely involuntary because if its something valuable and fragile and I'm thinking about it it doesn't happen, but if I'm not actively focusing on it I drop shit all the time. It literally feels like my hand just lets go. Anyone else experience this? I didn't even register that I do it until yesterday while talking to a coworker I dropped my phone like 3 times in a 5 minute conversation, I wasn't moving it, I wasn't holding anything else, there was no reason to but like I said it's like my hand just absentmindedly loosened up.

I’ve seen a few posts online, a few from doctors even, suggesting that ADHD stimulant medications like methylphenidate and amphetamine can cause a faster depletion of nutrients like magnesium, and that someone in stimulants should supplement with it.

Is there any truth at all to this, or is it just a myth?

All I can do are things that require thought: chess, strategy work, research, plans, and the occasional stardew valley farm. Anything that requires me to be present or do something with my body, I can’t do. My mind is incapable of staying present when I try. I have almost no friends. I ruined my life and lost my career and everything that makes a stable adult. And now, I just have no interest in anything at all except chess and thinking, which I don’t even want to do but can’t seem to stop. I can’t get out of these circumstances because I can’t finish anything. I’m going to have no choice but to end my life someday if I can’t figure this out and no therapy hasn’t helped and yes I’m medicated with vyvanse. I’m actually going to lower it to see if it helps me shift into executive functioning (bad name for what really is just doing tasks with your body and not mind). Has anyone dealt with this? I’m desperate for some advice.

For context, I have combined ADHD and work a corporate job. And though I have put a lot of tools in place to help reduce the amount of inattentive mistakes I make, they sometimes still happen. Sometimes it’s pretty big mistakes that have an impact on other people or that other people witness.

And every time, it’s the same downward spiral of self-loathing, feeling incapable, embarrassed, etc. I’m even thinking about leaving my field because it’s so destructive every time and I don’t know that I can bear it for the rest of my life.

So what have you done, if anything, to help with this?

I’ll take any advice 🥲

So I was taking a shower and heavily overthinking about smth. Now I tend to have 2 separate “consciousness” aside from my own one does the overthinking and the other argues against it while I just listen to them fight I know i sound insane but bear with me. I suddenly got the idea to imagine slapping the shit out of them. I “knocked them out” and suddenly there was quiet I did attempt to overthink again but I slapped them once more.

I did this to my inner monologue as well and the thing is I finally feel like I’m “here”. I’m freaked out because it feels like a switch was flipped in my brain and cleared it up

I’ve taking medication for a while now and this has never happened to me??? I can still summon the inner monologue but it feels like I have control now if that makes any sense

Some day three weeks ago, past me set an alarm for something important. Past me didn't write down what. Past me is not a team player.
It goes off every single day. I look at it, I think "hm", I swipe it away. I don't know why I don't turn it off tbh, it just lives with me now I guess.
And I think that's my whole problem with reminders. Setting them is easy. But they go off when I'm at work, or driving, or in the shower, so I swipe "later". And later never comes, because in my brain the reminder already happened, so it counts as done.
What I actually need is a reminder for "when I'm at the shop" or "when I finally have five quiet minutes", not "at 14:00". Has anyone found something that works like that? Or do you also have a mystery alarm you're too scared to delete?

Hey! I'm 39, male, and was diagnosed with ADHD today. It hasn't really hit me. It seems like the diagnosis was so easily made? But, I think maybe the symptoms are just so normal to me, that they don't feel like symptoms. Any one else experience this?

I've been prescribed vyvanse and will start it tomorrow for a 15 day run.

I'm also a counselor --- so I'm interested to see how this will effect me.

Thanks y'all!

Hi, I’m currently unmedicated and was recently diagnosed with ADHD.
My boyfriend gets pretty upset when I don’t text him back while I’m out with friends. I understand why it bothers him, but I’m genuinely terrible at remembering to check my phone or reply when I’m engaged in something else. It’s not that I don’t care about him I simply stop thinking about texting altogether.
My previous boyfriend was quite controlling and would start conflicts whenever I didn’t reply quickly. It got so bad that even after we broke up, I sometimes felt anxious during girls’ nights because I would suddenly think, “Oh God, I forgot to text.”
My current boyfriend isn’t like that, but the issue is still creating tension. I don’t want to use ADHD as an excuse, but I also don’t think repeatedly forgetting is a deliberate choice.
Does anyone else experience this? How do you balance being present with friends while still giving your partner reasonable reassurance? Have reminders or agreed-upon check-in times actually worked for you?

I'm about to get separated from my job because it doesn't matter how many alarms I set to wake up, I sleep through them. I doesn't matter how much I look at the time, I somehow always end up being late.

Long story short, I am constantly late to my job due to severe time blindness, fatigue and probably lack of discipline .

Im f22, I have bipolar disorder II, combined ADHD, GAD, and MDD. I'm a full time undergrad student on top of working 30 hrs a week.

My job has a point system for tardiness and I've racked up enough points where I'm one tardiness away from being terminated.

I have prescribed meds but I genuinely don't know what else to do to combat this.

I'm open to all suggestions yall give to help mitigate my tardiness issue because it isn't just affecting work, I'm late to class, to meet up with friends. Everything.

Hey everyone,

I’m in a really rough spot right now and just feel completely drained. I struggle so much with basic focus, actually getting started on things, and this endless, noisy chaos in my head that never seems to stop.

I’m seriously thinking about getting tested for ADHD, starting therapy, and looking into medication. But honestly, I’m scared and keep doubting if it’ll even work for me or if I’m just beyond help.

For anyone who started meds or therapy as an adult: Did it actually help you turn things around? What did it feel like when things finally clicked? I just want to feel like a normal functioning human for once and get some peace in my head. Would love to hear your experiences.

I feel so jealous of people who had the opportunity to get diagnosed early on. Ive been asking my parents since I was 13 years old, I am now a senior in high school. For some reason they didn't believe me and thought I just wanted to be different. I've been struggling to turn in work and focus on assignments since as long as I can remember, yet my end of year exams always end up being high b's and a's. All of elementary school I did so well too, I was a straight A student. I don't know why they didn't see something wrong with my drastic drop in grades. I feel like such a failure, I have a 2.8 GPA, I've been trying to lock in this semester and I have A's and B's (and I am so worn out), I don't want to seem like I'm making myself a victim but I feel like I really just got unlucky, I wish I had gotten help sooner. It's so upsetting. It makes me so jealous hearing about people who have all these great opportunities that I know I could have had and enjoyed so much if I had just been diagnosed. I honestly just feel a bit hopeless and sad!! Does anybody else feel this way?

I know a part of ADHD is having hyperfixations and yadda yadda.

However, I first thought, no, I must not have hyperfixations, but then I realised I WAS LYING TO MYSELF! I've had so many random hyperfixations and specifically to do with video games. I literally neglected my personal hygiene and health staying up, glued to my bed playing the same repetitive games over and over again, begging people to pay for things in the game, and then never touch the games again.

Even right now, I realised that my new hyperfixation is this new boy band I love (I won't yap about them, showing some willpower). It took me a while to realise I was hyperfixating on them, I literally don't know how. It started with a simple music video reaction, now I have two albums in my room, a poster, stickers, magnets and pictures of the members (HEY THIS IS ALL MERCH THAT COMES WITH THE ALBUMS I PROMISE IM NOT A CREEP). The issue is, I don't KNOW when I'm hyperfixating until I get the "We get it, you like [___]." or the typical "No. I don't want to talk about [___], and it shatters my literal soul.

I'm curious if this will resonate with anyone here. I'm a very emotional person, and part of my ADHD seems to come with a difficulty controlling my emotions. Medication helps (I'm on Concerta), and without it I can really struggle to emotionally regulate.

Even with my medication, I get overwhelmed easily by my emotions and often cry when I am having issues with my partner. We have a good and loving relationship, but when we have conflict, I feel it very deeply and intensely in my chest, and before I know it, tears are rolling down my cheeks. Sometimes I'll cry throughout the entirety of a difficult conversation, which is upsetting to him.

Is this an ADHD thing that anyone else has noticed?

I don’t know what this is anymore. It’s just so sad watching people make so much of their lives with such full days when I can’t even find it in me to move.

I’ve been medicated for multiple things and I’m actively taking my meds but nothing seems to be working. I’m so exhausted. I’m all over the place. I’m so hungry but I don’t want to eat, I’m so anxious about not keeping up my grades but I don’t care if I fail a test, my room is so messy and cluttered but I’m freaking out when my computer has more than 3 tabs open.

Like what even is this.

Hello,

I’m 23F and I currently take Vyvanse (30mg) and Dex (5mg). I only take the 5mg as booster with vyvanse if I have a busy day with school and work or if I’m in my luteal/menstrual phase. I was wondering for those who are busy 24/7 and take breaks from medication, what do you do to make sure you stay on top of things.

I take breaks during my menstrual and luteal phase because the meds don’t work as well and to also give my body and brain a break but as someone who works full time and goes to school full time, I do tend to fall behind when I don’t take my medication.

Like the title says, I've been diagnosed with ADHD and I wanted to inform my teachers about this condition, the school staff told me to fill up a formulary and then deliver to them. It's been at least two, almost three months since I got back, and I have yet to put at least my name in it...

And I know the solution is simple, yet I keep forgetting to write or I look at the paper, think about doing it, then immediately do something else...

Do you ever feel frustrated by how many challenges and difficulties society creates for people with ADHD, and by the expectation that we have to accept things as they are and work on ourselves instead of changing society and its structures? If so
what is the most important thing you wish would change in the world around you to make your life better?

I hate how my brain is wired to receive criticism, mean comments, and the initiation of conflict in such a harsh way.

I was out with some friends tonight at a bar and we met some people when we got food after. There was a guy and a girl, and from the get-go, the guy started asking me stuff like “Why should I give a f@$& about you? What do you do?” and started talking about his solar business. They prodded at me, ignored my attempts to engage in conversation, rated some of my friends as cool, one as weird, and dug into me about being judgmental. When the girl really started pressing me about being judgmental, I just stepped away and said “I’m just trying to have a good night and a conversation, but I think you’re trying to start s#!%. You know what, I’ll be at the taco truck across the street” and left the situation to cool off. My friends and I reunited and we talked about how weird they were and then took an Uber home.

These are like textbook people that you should not listen to: drunk and disrespectful. I mean, come on, they admitted that they got kicked out of a night club because the guy was making someone uncomfortable. However, I can’t get them out of my head. It’s like I did something really wrong, and I feel an immense guilt just by the fact that they were accusing me of doing something wrong. I don’t know why my brain will look at a drunk person who’s probably not gonna remember this conversation and deliver me the same amount of punishment hormone as if my mom told me she didn’t love me anymore. I hate my brain and I wish that I could just write people off for being mean and move on with my day.